In order to execute an application program beyond the processing capability of a CPU, the technique using special-purpose hardware has been conventionally proposed/developed. FIG. 30 shows a technique in which special-purpose hardware executes the whole application program. FIG. 31 shows a technique in which special-purpose hardware is prepared to execute a part of an application program having the hardware connected to a general-purpose CPU via a network, and a part of the application is executed by the hardware at high speed. FIG. 32 shows a technique in which a part of an application program is executed by special purpose hardware, and by adding a new instruction set that has the special purpose hardware execute processing within a CPU, the part executed by the newly added instructions is processed at high speed. While the techniques described above in which all or a part of an application is implemented in hardware improve the processing capability a great deal, they require large costs because a new piece of hardware needs to be developed/manufactured for every application. Meanwhile, reconfigurable hardware where logic circuits such as FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and PLD (Programmable Logic Device) can be created by a program has drawn some attention because it can execute particular processing specified by a program by changing the program and reconfiguring the logic circuit without changing devices. In recent years, methods for realizing an application program that requires high processing capability using reconfigurable hardware, instead of special purpose hardware, without having to newly manufacture hardware (i.e. low costs) and devices using these methods have been proposed. For example, reconfigurable hardware is used instead of special purpose hardware in Japanese Patent Kokai Publications No. JP 8-316329A and No. JP 11-184718A. Further, extended instructions added to a CPU are realized by reconfigurable hardware in JP 3099889B.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-8-316329
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-11-184718
[Patent Document 3]
Japanese Patent No. 3099889
[Patent Document 4]
Japanese Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2001-147802A
[Patent Document 5]
Japanese Patent Kohyo Publication No. JP-A-11-507478